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Overlanding Through Africa
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade
May – Sep 2023

Overlanding Through Africa

This is the big one - the trip we have been planning since before the pandemic! We will be overlanding from South Africa 🇿🇦 to Kenya 🇰🇪 passing through 9 other countries and taking four months. Read more
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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    A trip to the cinema

    May 12, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Having seen everything we wanted to see in the city, we decided to have an easier day today.

    We spent the morning doing posts, getting caught up on our laundry, and sorting our bags 🎒 out ahead of our trip.

    Later, we walked up to the mall to go to the cinema 🎥. We had tickets to see The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry starring Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton. I read the book 📖 a few years ago while we were working on Yole. I knew the film was coming out, but I thought we'd miss it because we were travelling. I was very happy to find out it was on here in Jo'burg. We both enjoyed the film. I thought it was true to the book.

    I found myself taking photos 📸 of the toilets 🚻 in the mall! Every public toilet I've been in this week has had fresh orchids on display and these very clever toilet seat/flush systems. Another reason to love Jo'burg!! 😂

    While we were at the mall, we went shopping for a suitable hat for Mark to wear on safari. He definitely looks the part now 😀.

    On the way back to the apartment, we spotted a hadeda ibis. This bird is found all over the city. It has no natural predators, so numbers are out of control. It is named for its loud three to four note calls made in flight, especially early in the morning when it leaves its roost, and when it returns in the evening. Locals have nicknamed it 'the flying vuvuzela'!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    A change of hotel

    May 13, 2023 in South Africa

    We were up early this morning to shower and sort out our last bits and pieces ready for check-out at 10am. We were on time, but when we went to get the lift, our access codes had been cancelled! Mark left me with the bags 🎒 while he used the stairs to go down 15 floors to reception! He could only get as far as the 4th floor before he was stopped by a locked door! After some shenanigans 🤪 involving going through the car park, he made it to reception and, eventually, back up to the 15th floor to get me and our bags!

    Back at reception, we asked the guy to organise a taxi to take us to the Holiday Inn, the starting point for our Johannesburg to Cape Town trip. We knew it wasn't far, but we didn't fancy dragging our heavy bags up the hill and through the mall. The fare was only 28 rand (about £1.20!), but we felt guilty for using him for such a short distance, so we gave him 50!

    Check-in wasn't until 2pm, but they let us store our bags, gave us the access code for the wi-fi, and showed us to a lounge area to wait.

    We got into our room at about 1pm, dropped our bags 🎒 and went straight out to get some lunch. Seeing as we're going to be on the road for a little while, we treated ourselves to a Greek meal. It was all delicious 😋! Before going back to the hotel, we had some of Paul's homemade ice cream 🍦 for dessert - it wasn't half bad! 😂

    Back at the hotel, I edited the photo book of our Seychelles trip, and Mark caught up with the football ⚽️.

    Ahead of our 6pm meeting, we heard our truck arrive. Attached is a photo 📸 of it taken from our 8th floor window!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    And we're off!

    May 14, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    At last night's meeting, we met our leader, Rene, our driver, Ernest, and our cook, Ivan, along with our 8 fellow travellers. They seem like a good bunch. After the meeting, we went straight back to our room to get ready for our 4am start this morning!

    Thunder during the night kept waking me up, so I wasn't feeling particularly refreshed when the alarm went off!

    We were the first ones down to meet Rene so we were able to load our bags 🎒 and get the first pick of the seats. There are only 10 of us on a 24-seater truck 🚚, so it's not really an issue, but we did choose seats near the biggest windows, thinking ahead to safari days 😂. (Unlike Dragoman, there doesn't seem to be a rule that we have to change seats every day.)

    Our big bags 🎒 were stowed underneath the truck 🚚, and we have lockers on board to store our small stuff and valuables.

    The truck 🚚 is quite different to a Dragoman truck. For a start, it's white, not orange! The seats are like coach seats and are fitted with seat belts which we have to wear whenever we are moving. There are cool boxes for us to use and there are charging points above our heads.

    Because of our early start, the hotel gave us food bags to cover breakfast and lunch.

    It was raining 🌧 and dark, but everyone was on time so we were able to leave ahead of schedule. Just down the road, however, we realised that we had left our water bottles in the fridge in the hotel room! We had to go back. They were our expensive filter bottles. So we turned round and Mark went to retrieve them!

    After our false start, we were finally on the road. Our much-anticipated trip had finally begun! The first leg was from Johannesburg to Kruger National Park, so we had a 12-hour drive ahead!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Coffee stop

    May 14, 2023 in South Africa

    The sun came up after we’d been driving for 90 minutes or so. It was very cloudy and there was some rain, so there wasn’t much of a sunrise.

    Our first stop of the day was at a service station to buy coffee. It’s the only garage that I’ve ever been to that has its own waterhole! It was a bit grey and misty, but we could make out a number of kudu.

    Back on the truck, we had our breakfast supplied by the hotel. We had three pastries each plus a banana and a fruit juice.

    Continuing our journey, we passed a huge number of coal mines. South Africa is trying to move away from fossil fuels, but they have a long way to go!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve

    May 14, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We drove along the Panorama Route. The first place of interest on the way was at Three Rondavels. Here, you get a great view of the Blyde River Canyon, which is thought to be the third largest canyon on earth. It is a nature reserve with 1600 flora, 100 mammals, 94 reptiles, and 34 species of amphibians. It was very misty with low cloud hiding the peaks in front of us, but stunning nevertheless.

    There were the usual stalls selling local souvenirs that you find at every beauty spot in Africa. At the start of such a long trip, we weren’t tempted to buy anything. Byrand, one of our group, treated himself to a bush hat suitable for the adventures to come.

    We took our first group photo in front of the truck.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Bourke's Luck Potholes

    May 14, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    The scenery on route to our next stop at Bourke’s Luck Potholes was stunning. When we got there, we had a walk down to the river to take photos. The rock formations are truly beautiful. The quartzite rock is highly resistant to mechanical and chemical weathering. It’s generally accepted that the potholes were formed by the swirling of rocks in the riverbed grinding these shapes along weaker points in the quartzite layers.

    We bought cold drinks and then ate our Holiday Inn-supplied lunch when we were back on the truck – a chicken mayo sandwich, a cheese & tomato sandwich, a packet of crisps, two energy bars, a fruit juice, and an apple. We’re certainly not going to go hungry on this trip!

    We didn’t eat everything, so added the crisps and cereal bars to our snack bag. It’s important to have such a bag on any overlanding trip in case of unexpected hold ups on the road😊.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Arriving at Kruger National Park

    May 14, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Back on the truck, we drove past mile after mile of orange groves, apple orchards, and banana plantations. We had a couple of stops (for toilets and shopping) before arriving at the gates of Kruger National Park. Luckily, by this point, the clouds had cleared, and the rain had stopped. While René was organising our tickets, we dropped the windows and prepared ourselves for our first game drive in Kruger. We had an 80-kilometre journey to our campsite. With a speed limit of 40 kilometres per hour within the park, it was going to take us a while to get there.

    The excitement was palpable as we all scoured the landscape to the right and left of the truck looking for our first animal sighting of the trip. We didn’t have to wait long! Within five minutes of entering the park, Ernest spotted a group of juvenile hyenas at the side of the road. He stopped the truck and turned it round to give us all a better view. As he did so, we spotted a leopard sprawled across the branch of a tree! How lucky were we? A leopard sighting in the first few minutes of the trip!! We stayed where we were for several minutes watching this magnificent cat and taking photos of it.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Lots of animals!

    May 14, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Between seeing the leopard and arriving at our camp, we saw countless hyena, a family of elephants with their babies, a warthog, a group of baboons, and several kudu.

    René proved to have a wealth of knowledge about all the wildlife we were seeing. It was a great introduction to safari in Kruger National Park and in South Africa in general.Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Our first camp

    May 14, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We arrived at Skukuza Lodge Campground at around 4.30pm. It is a huge campsite, catering mainly for South African tourists, many of whom set up camp here for several months at a time.

    There were some amazing units – overlanding vehicles and purpose-built campervans, the like of which we have rarely seen before.

    We found a spot and quickly got to work putting our tents up for the first time. We didn’t have much light left. The tents are dome tents with the frame on the outside. They are very easy to erect, so we were soon finished.

    René then took us to show us where the shower blocks were (very clean and well-maintained), as well as the campsite shop where we could buy essentials. It was the best campsite shop I’ve ever seen! We had a quick look around and bought some drinks, vowing to return for a longer browse and to take photos of the whole campsite the next day. In the event, we never had time to do this!

    Ivan had dinner ready for us all by 7pm. He prepared chicken, stir-fried vegetables, and rice. It was all delicious! Most of us turned it in shortly after dinner – the very early start had caught up with us!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Full day game drive in Kruger

    May 15, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We slept pretty well and were awake before our 5.30am alarm went off – time for a lovely hot shower before our 6.30am breakfast and 7am departure! Breakfast was the usual cereal, fresh fruit, toast, and jam. Fine for me, but Mark will need to buy some cheese or something – otherwise, he’ll just be having dry toast every morning!

    The choice for today was to go on an all-day 4WD game drive with a Kruger Park ranger at a cost of 1100 rand (about £50) each, or go game-spotting on the truck, which was included in the price of the tour. The six younger passengers chose to pay for the 4WD. Mark and I, and Byrand and Ruth from Australia, decided to go on the truck. With so many safaris on this trip, we didn’t see the point of paying for another one, even though René did tell us that the 4WD would probably see more wildlife than we would as they could go off-road, whereas we would have to stick to the main tarmacked routes. As it turned out, I think both groups had equally successful days. Those in the 4WD saw lions. We didn’t. We saw buffalos. The other group didn’t. We were out all day, not getting back to camp until about 4.30pm.

    We had such a good day’s safari! We stopped for lunch at a game lodge (very good burger and chips!), but, other than that, we kept moving all day. We saw:

    • Impala
    • Plover
    • Bushbuck
    • Elephants
    • Waterbuck (Identified by a white ring on its buttocks. If you see one, you know water is close by.)
    • Zebra
    • Baboons
    • Ostrich
    • Wildebeest
    • Lilac Breasted Rollers (vivid turquoise birds with purple breasts – I think we saw these in Ethiopia, too)
    • Hippos
    • A large herd of buffalo
    • Crocodiles
    • Giraffe
    • A cheetah chasing a group of wildebeest (this is such a rare and special thing to see. René had never seen this before)
    • Vultures around the bare bones of a very old kill
    • Southern Booboo (a brown bird)
    • Bataleer eagle
    • Egyptian Goose (with distinctive red circles around its eyes)
    • A charging elephant! (A big bull elephant on must (on heat) which really didn’t want to let us go past – quite a sight!)
    • A heron sitting on a hippo!
    • Warthog
    • Hyena
    • Wild dogs (these are super-endangered and are on the red list, so we were very lucky to see them)
    • Baboons with a baby
    • Impala
    • Old giraffe (probably not long for this world!)
    • A leopard walking along the road!
    • Family of warthogs

    We tried to photograph or video everything we saw, but it wasn’t always easy. Some of the animals were at a great distance from us. The binoculars we bought when we went to the Motorhome and Campervan Show in Harrogate just before we came away proved invaluable.

    Back on site, I took the photos off the big camera and did some basic editing before dinner. Between us, we got some great shots, both of the animals and the scenery.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Night game drive

    May 15, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Ivan cooked lamb chops, mashed potato, broccoli, cauliflower, and hot tomato salsa for dinner. Delicious once again!

    After dinner, Mark and I, Ruth and Byran, and Jez and Robyn, went on our pre-booked night safari. We didn’t know what we might see in the dark, but we were tempted by the possibility of seeing big cats.

    We didn’t get to see any such cats and were initially disappointed by the whole experience. It rained a lot and it was pretty cold. Our guide seemed obsessed with elephants and, as much as I love them, we seemed to spend too much time sitting in a stationary vehicle watching the bush where elephants had been!

    However, on reflection the next morning, we realised we had seen quite a bit, even though we had no photographic proof. We had seen:

    • A porcupine
    • Elephants
    • A greater spotted Jenet cat
    • Greater spotted owl
    • A lone juvenile hyena
    • A chameleon
    • Hyena    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Leaving Kruger

    May 16, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We arrived back on site at just gone 10pm last night and spent a pretty damp and cold night. Our bedding was all damp this morning, but we had no time to dry it out. We were up at 5am and were packed up with our tents down by 6am. Then, it was breakfast and exiting the park with a two-hour game drive on route.

    It was a much nicer morning, weather wise. We got some nice shots as the sun came through. On the way out of the park, we saw:

    • Elephant
    • Wild dogs
    • A leopard!
    • More wild dogs!
    • Warthogs

    And then, just before we reached the exit, we saw lions! There were two lionesses and three cubs. They were a long way from the road, but we did capture some images. I could see them clearly through the binoculars.

    So, there it was! We had seen the Big Five in our first 36 hours on safari! How lucky do we feel!! Kruger, you have been amazing!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Crossing into Eswatini

    May 16, 2023 in Swaziland

    After leaving Kruger, we drove towards Eswatini, formerly Swaziland. René told us that the King changed the name of the country when an important package meant for Swaziland was instead delivered to Switzerland!!

    Just before we reached the border, we stopped to buy snacks and drinks for the next couple of days. Ivan re-stocked his pantry.

    The border crossing was painless. We were stamped out of South Africa, walked across no man’s land, and were stamped in to Eswatini. Obviously, no photography is allowed anywhere near the border crossing.

    As we drove into Eswatini, it was immediately apparent that we had entered a poorer country than the one we had just left. The overwhelming impression, though, was of how green everything was! Everywhere seemed manicured and clean.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Hlane Royal National Park

    May 16, 2023 in Swaziland ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After about 90 minutes, we arrived at our campsite in Hlane (pronounced Shlarnay) National Park. It is really beautiful! We set up camp around a barbecue and camp kitchen and pitched our tents on lovely soft grass. It is so peaceful – absolutely idyllic.

    There is no electricity here. There is a guy whose job is to heat the water for the shower block by keeping a fire going under the water tanks. At night, the shower block and public areas are lit by paraffin lamps. Animals wander freely through the camp, especially impala and nyala.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    The waterhole at Hlane National Park

    May 16, 2023 in Swaziland ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Once we had set up, we walked down to the waterhole just beyond the fenced area of the campsite. There was a huge hippo on the bank, but it disappeared into the water before we could get close enough to take photos. The white rhino, however, remained where she was, so we did get photos of her!

    Ivan prepared us a lunch of hotdogs and salad.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Walking safari at Hlane National Park

    May 16, 2023 in Swaziland ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    At 3pm, we met for a guided walk with Maxwell, a park ranger at Hlane. He explained the rules to us – long trousers, closed shoes, no white garments (rhino don’t like white), walk behind him in single file, make as little noise as possible, and stop if he raises his fist in the air. With all of this in mind, we set off! I’m sure what followed in the next couple of hours will go down as one of the highlights of this entire trip!

    We walked around the waterhole and came face to face with two enormous white rhino, a mother and her five-year-old son. The ranger indicated that we should sit down and make ourselves as small as possible. It was breath-taking! Our hearts were pounding at the incredible sight in front of us. These huge wild animals were only feet away from us.

    Strangely, I didn’t feel afraid, although, at one point, it did strike me that all that was protecting us from the danger before us was a man with a stick!! We stayed in position for several minutes. It was amazing – something none of us will ever forget!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    The walk continues

    May 16, 2023 in Swaziland ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After this unbelievable encounter, the walk continued with our ranger explaining everything we were seeing along the way. We also saw nyala (beautiful striped antelopes), guinea fowl, giraffe, and crocodiles.Read more

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